The significance of teaching environmental protection

Abstract

The students of Benedek Elek Faculty of Pedagogy at the University of Sopron studied "Ecology and Environmental Protection in Preschool Education" as a compulsory course. The objective of teaching this subject was to expand the environmental knowledge of the students, increase their sense of responsibility, and develop their environmental awareness. Developing environmental awareness, saving energy, water, and electricity, avoiding wasting and waste management got priority during the training. The students were prepared to create the foundation of sensitivity to environmental issues, a proper value system and nature and eco-friendly behaviour at preschools as graduate childhood educators.
All these topics were viewed from a preschool education perspective, namely, how the above-mentioned topics can be brought to preschools so that the students could be able to implement them into the everyday life of preschools. In order to achieve this, they have to develop a rich methodological repertoire so that the children in their care can be educated to sustainability and environment protection according to their age and needs.